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Social Security is very generous—to some people. It is delivering a handsome return on investment to the generation that is now retired. It gives a bonus to workers who get married more than once. It’s kind to the low-paid.

That means certain other people don’t do so well. Here are some ways that you can wind up with the short end of the stick.

You’re a second earner. Let’s say John worked his whole life and earns a benefit of $2,500 a month. Wife Mary never worked. She gets $1,250 just for being a spouse.

Now let’s say the couple next door put more years into the workforce. Jennifer worked her whole life and gets $2,500. Her husband James worked a fair amount but only enough to earn $1,000 on his own. Instead of getting a benefit based on his own contributions, James collects the spousal benefit of $1,250.

James is getting robbed. How? Instead of getting the sum of his spousal benefit and his own benefit, he gets the higher of the two amounts.

These two couples wind up with the same payout even though the second couple chipped more money in. In effect, all the taxes that James and his employers paid go down the drain.

You have a split career. Harry works from age 26 to 46 in a private sector job, contributing to Social Security. Then from 46 to 66 he works in state government, earning a pension outside the Social Security system.

He ought to be able to collect separately from the two retirement plans. He can’t. His Social Security payout will be docked (by roughly $400 a month) on the theory that since he earned another pension he doesn’t really need Social Security.

Contrast Sam, who works in the identical private sector job from age 26 to 46 and then stays home for the next 20 years. Sam gets a higher Social Security benefit than Harry.

You have a long career. Jane worked for 35 years, at fairly high pay. Susie worked for 45 years, at lower pay. They put the same amount in. Jane gets a higher benefit.

Reason: The formula counts your 35 best years. This is portrayed as a kindness to workers. In fact what it does is transfer money from the Susies of the workforce to the Janes.

You’re single. A spouse collects 50% of a worker’s benefit (unless, of course, the spouse’s own earned benefit is larger). A one-earner couple, that is, gets 150% of the worker’s entitlement. Also, a surviving spouse inherits the full benefit.

Both of these features transfer wealth from people who don’t get married to people who do.

You’ve never divorced. Bob has married and divorced three times, each marriage lasting a decade or more. All three exes can collect the spousal benefit.